


The Broken Road to You

by SopranoStewart



Category: Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:22:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26760577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SopranoStewart/pseuds/SopranoStewart
Summary: Dimitri is a loving father of two beautiful girls. After his youngest  is born, he needs to go back to work to support the family, but he needs help. Luckily, he finds a new nanny, Rose. Can she help with his girls? Will they all like her? If you choose to read, enjoy! <3
Relationships: Dimitri Belikov/Rose Hathaway
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	1. Trying to Cope

** The Broken Road to You **

Dimitri was in a deep sleep that was unfortunately and abruptly ended. It wasn't his alarm clock this time. He groaned, turning onto his back to look at the blinking red digits that read 3 a.m. He slowly started to wake up, but the unexpected jolt of being awake was delaying his response. He rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes, trying to process the noise he was hearing. He glanced from the clock to look at the monitor on the nightstand right next to it, seeing the little red dots of light moving up and down, up and down.

Duh Dimitri . He chastised himself for not realizing quicker what he was hearing. She certainly hadn't been sleeping well at all this past week. Her cries grew louder, a helpless wail at that point that made Dimitris heart sink and finally motivate his mind and body to get up and move, quickly. He hopped out of bed. As he took a step towards the doorway, he stumbled forward and stubbed his toe on the edge of the bed in his attempt to find his way through the dark and flip on the light

"Ouch! Son of a bitch. . ." He cursed softly to himself. Hopping on one foot towards the door, he stopped and let the pain ease away from his right big toe. Reaching for the light switch, he flipped it on, letting his eyes slowly adjust to the quick change in lighting. As he took a step out the door he jumped, seeing the silhouette of a tiny figure in the upstairs hallway.

"Daddy?" His oldest daughter stood there, her sea foam green Little Mermaid blanket clenched tightly in her hand that went with the Little mermaid pajamas she was wearing.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Dimitri replied, trying to keep his tone as soothing as possible. He was in no way shape or form upset with his oldest daughter, but stubbing your toe and your newborn daughter screaming bloody murder made it a little difficult for him to keep his composure. To make things worse, the dog started barking.

"I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?" His daughter said which you could barely hear over the rest of the noise in the house.

"Yes sweetheart of course, just let me take care of your sister first." He kissed Laila on top of her head and ruffled her hair a little. "Hop up in my bed alright? I'll be there soon." She nodded excitedly and ran at full speed, hopping onto the bed. The dog barking over and over was starting to push Dimitri over the edge.

"Heidi! Enough!" He hollered. When he heard another loud wail from down the hall, he hurried himself forward, careful not to stub his toe again or trip and fall on his face. He stopped in the doorway to catch himself from tripping again, making his way to the lamp to switch it on.

"It's okay Kira, daddy's coming sweetheart." He flipped on the small purple lamp over by the changing table. Scooping his daughter up and holding her close, he patted her back as he rotated his upper body slowly left and right, murmuring sweet words in Russian and soft hushes near her tiny head.

"Shh shh my Солнышко, it's alright. Daddy is here. Looks like someone needs a change." Her wails slowly turned into soft little sobs, the tired sound in her voice made it obvious all that crying wore her out. He placed her on the changing table, which didn't make her too happy now that her body wasn't resting against her father's tall warm figure, but he changed her quick enough so she was back in his arms and against my chest before she could throw another fit. She was now completely comfortable with the position she was in.

He sat himself carefully in the rocking chair, propping his foot up against the little ottoman that came with it. He slowly started to rock. He reclined the back of the chair a little, leaning back and allowing Kira to lay comfortably on his bare chest without him having to hold her up. Ever since she was born, it was the most comforting thing for her. He silently chuckled to himself when she yawned, a little content smile on her face as those big blue eyes started up at me.

_ My god how much she looks like her mother. _

He started to rock very slowly, humming an old Russian lullaby that his mother had sung to him when he was just a baby. Her eyes started to grow heavy, so he started to sing out loud with the words.

"где мечтательный потоков Волга

Там в одинокий руссткий розыглядя с нежносьювниз на коленигде дети синие глаза блестятслушать"

As Dimitri finished the verse, she was completely out. Her soft, warm breaths hitting his chest. He smiled, bringing a hand up to wipe a tear from his eye. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before placing her back in her crib, turning on her mobile and night light.

"Goodnight Kira, I love you." Dimitri whispered. He walked over and turned out the lamp.

He stopped in the doorway, glancing back at his newborn daughter. "And mommy loves you too. . ." He flicked off the light and returned to his room.

He was a little confused when he didn't see Laila at first, but then he noticed the big lump in the bed under the comforter. He smirked, deciding it was best to play along in the hopes that he could bring Laila to a better mood after the bad dream she had.

"Laila where are you?" Dimitri chuckled. The next thing he saw was a little dark brown head of hair pop out from under his blanket, followed by her chocolate brown eyes that were identical to his, meeting his humored gaze. As soon as she saw him she ducked back under, giggling like crazy. Dimitri laughed, leaning up against the doorway and folding his arms, raising an eyebrow which the little girl found  _extremely_ hilarious.

"What are you doing under there you goofball?" She peeked out again, and when she saw Dimitris eyebrow still raised, she gave a playful shriek and hid again, giggling even more. Dimitri sighed, followed by a soft laugh. He shook his head at the floor, his dark brown nearly shoulder length hair following his head movements. He tiptoed over to the bed and climbed on, trying his best to not make a sound or make it noticeable he was right above her.

As he watched her little figure start to slowly move out from underneath the comforter again, he held his breath, not making a sound. All of a sudden her head poked out, and he caught her just before she could yelp and hide in her fortress of blankets again. He pulled her from beneath the covers, exposing her to nothing but fun trouble from dad. 

"Ah ha!! Daddy's got ya! Uh oh, it's daddy, the almighty tickle monster! " He started poking and tickling her sides. Her high pitched laughter was contagious, making the tall dark haired father crack up as he continued to tickle her despite her giggling plea's in between gasps of breaths. She flailed her arms and legs around, begging me to stop.

"No daddy! No more!" She laughed. Dimitri eased away from the tickling as he could see it was wearing her out. He leaned down to finish his playful torment with a big raspberry kiss on the cheek, she giggled at the noise.

"Eww daddy you're making funny noises!" She made a grossed out face, her nose scrunching up and wrinkling, she added the touch of folding her arms too, her father decided to mimic her.

"I can do that too ya know." Laila looked at him with such a playfully offended face. He could see in her eyes she searched for something to say.

"Yeah well, you don't look cute doing it. Only me!" She smiled and climbed back under the blanket.

"Yeah, you are sure right about that Ladybug."

That was the nickname Dimitri had given her due to the fact it was, surprisingly, her first word. As a newborn baby, she loved the outdoors, and so did her mother. Every morning, Dimitris wife Elena would take her outside to look at the different varieties of flowers she had been growing in the front yard. She was mesmerized by all the colors and shapes, cooing and getting all excited, waving her arms when she got to touch one.

Dimitri sat on his bed, gazing lovingly at his daughter as he thought about that day.

_ " Oh sweetheart, don't pull or yank them, you'll hurt the flowers." Dimitri laughed as she looked up at Elena with a confused look, her big brown eyes wide and her mouth accompanied with only a couple teeth formed in a perfect 'O'. Dimitri was sitting on the front porch, seated on one of the deck chairs, reading a copy of Zane Greys 'Riders of the Purple Sage'.The man was exceedingly fond of anything western. _

_ Just two weeks shy of her first birthday that day, she was beginning to walk with assistance. Elena let her walk around in the grass, holding onto her hand and walking around with her. There was a cautious look on his wife's face, ready to catch any fall she may have, which he father loved to call 'gravity storms.' That always made his wife giggle. As Laila made her way through the grass, a small ladybug landed on her arm. _

_ " Wuhhhh. . ." The wonder in her eyes, as she looked at that bug was heartwarming. She looked up at Elena, then turning her head in her father's direction, she attempted to call out to him. _

_ " Daaaaaa!" She got excited as she playfully stomped in the grass, bouncing as best as she could with Elena holding her hand. This was her way of indicating she needed him over there. Dimitri stood up and jogged over, kneeling down beside her. _

_ " What is that Laila? What did you find? Did you find a ladybug?" She looked back down at it, concentrating on it so hard. Dimitri could've sworn she was trying to shoot laser beams out her eyes at it with a look so intense _

_ " . . .L-L-Lady..buuug!!" She giggled loudly and watched as it flew away. Elena looked down at her husband, smiling brightly. _

_ " Well, what an interesting first word! I can't say either one of us could've predicted that one!" She laughed. Dimitri stood back up, picking up Laila and giving Elena a kiss on the cheek. _

_ " I think I've found my nickname for her. .Ladybug." He watched as Laila laid her head on his shoulder, a thumb in her mouth as she started to drift off to sleep. _

_ " Hmm Ladybug," Elena said in her all too familiar, soothing voice. "I love it. . ." _

". . .Daddy?"

Dimitri snapped out of his flashback, looking over at Laila.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Can we go to bed now?" She stretched her arms and yawned. "I'm sleepy. . ."

"Of course" He replied, and she immediately placed her head onto Elena's pillow, which seemed oddly huge against her small frame when she laid upon it. Dimitri lightly kissed her forehead again for the second time that night, stroking the hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. She was already fast asleep.

"Goodnight my little Ladybug."

Dimitri flipped his pillow over to the cold side and laid down on his back, propping his hands behind his head. He turned his head to face out the window, looking out at the dark sky. Living in a suburban area, stars were rarely seen, yet there was at times at least one exceptionally bright star that was always visible when the nights were cloudy. Dimitri gazed out the window at that exceptionally bright star for what seemed like hours, sighing as he attempted to close his eyes and succumb to sleep, but he just couldn't.

He sat up again and walked to the window, examining it closely. It was actually the first he had seen this star in a few months due to the fact spring was just starting to come around and the days and nights weren't so cold and cloudy anymore. The small town in Pennsylvania they lived in had had a horribly cold and blizzard filled winter. Looking at the star more intently caused lots of emotions to course through him, mainly frustration, guilt, and mourning. Looking at that star again, the last time seeing it being when he was with Elena in the hospital, caused Dimtiri to do something he had not done since that same day he last saw it. December 2nd, 2012.

As Dimitris body began to shake and his eyes were prickled with tears, he broke down. Before his whole body was able to give out on him, he hurried out of the room and closed the door, sliding his back down the wall as tears spilled down his cheeks. He choked out a sob that caused his breath to falter.

"You have no idea how much I miss you, Elena. The girls too. How can I ever explain it all to Kira when she gets older?" Dimitri wiped his eyes quickly and tried his level best to hold back any more tears, but he did not succeed. He pulled his knees to his chest and allowed his head to lower, giving way to the sobs that escaped his lips. His body shook with each sob, each haggard breath as he tried to pull himself together. His breathing started to settle as he looked up, hearing the clicking noises of something hitting the hardwood floor, coming up the stairs. He relaxed and gave a small smile when he realized it was Heidi, their Siberian husky.

"Come here, Heidi." Dimitri gave a small whistle, motioning to her with his hand. She had already seen he was upset, and was over by his side in a heartbeat. She laid her head in his lap and looked up at him with sorrowful eyes, a small whimper she gave looking at her distressed owner. Dimitri stroked her ears and the top of her head gently, an even bigger smile forming from when he first saw her.

"You miss her too, don't ya girl?" The soft whimper she gave was enough to assume she was thinking the same thing and responding to his question without even being able to speak.

"I know, but who doesn't?" That question garnered no new response, just the same loving gaze any dog would give their sad owner that they love so much.

"I don't think I'll be able to raise the girls properly and get them where they need to be once they take me off leave from work. . ." The thought chilled Dimitri to the bone. The thought of spending time away from his girls, it nearly drove him crazy. Dimitri knew that he eventually needed to return to work to support his family, but he knew very well that he wasn't going to be able to do this on his own. Of course he had his mother and other friends close enough in the area to help out when they were available, but none of them were always going to be able to stay with the girls when he would be away at work.

He stood up and headed back into his room, Heidi following right behind him. He stepped into his master bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face to take away the stinging feeling of dry tears on his cheeks and to help alleviate the red from my eyes. Climbing into bed and under the covers, Dimitri laid on his side facing the same window, finding a comfortable place on his pillow and closing his eyes. The wet nose nuzzling me in the face opened them back up.

Dimitri sighed. "Yes, you can come up here girl, but please don't wake Laila." Happiness filled the dog's features as she hopped onto the bed and curled up into a ball just beneath the tall man's feet.

"Goodnight Heidi." Dimitri said as he closed his eyes once again.

". . .Goodnight Elena."

** :') there is chapter one you guys, I really hope you liked it- SopranoStewart **


	2. The Zoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I am happy to see there are a few of you who have given kudos and a couple have even bookmarked my story! I cannot tell you how happy that makes me! I started this story a long time ago and actually wrote it in Dimitris POV and flip flopped to other characters but I decided to re write in third person. I would also like to let you know that I have a facebook page SopranoStewart Fanfiction where I post links to any updates as well as pictures of things from my stories and the image I have in my heads for outfits/hairdos, etc. Some banners my wonderful friends and myself have made are on there as well. Give the page a like if you can! :) Enjoy the next chapter! - SopranoStewart <3

Mid morning at about 9 a.m, Dimitri was up cooking breakfast for Laila and preparing Kira her bottle for when they both were awake. He was flipping the last couple pancakes when he could hear Laila's slippers hitting against the hardwood floor. She walked into the kitchen in her pajamas and robe, pretty cheery for this early in the morning. Dimitri glanced behind his back to see the big toothy grin on his daughter's face.

"Good morning sunshine!" She ran over and hugged his leg, almost making him drop the pancake he was balancing on the spatula.

"Morning daddy!" She said as she hugged his leg just a little tighter.

"Did you sleep well? Did the bad dreams go away?" She nodded her head and Dimitri gave her a friendly nod back. "Good!"

He piled the pancakes onto a nearby plate and turned around to set them on the table. Laila shifted herself so she was still holding onto his leg, but now facing him. Dimitri chuckled.

"Laila what are you doing? I need to walk." It seemed Dimtiri saying something did no good, as Laila proceeded to place her feet on his, and then sat down on it, hugging tighter. She looked up at Dimitri with such a cute playfulness in her eyes, it was heartwarming. He raised his eyebrow at her.

"What are you doing sweetheart?"

"Walk daddy! Walk!" 

Dimitri shook his head and laughed, walking over to the table slowly, swinging his left leg as she laughed loudly. After Dimitri set the plate of pancakes down he held onto the table to support himself, swinging his leg back and forth. Laila's little shrieks of laughter were cracking him up, and he finally had to stop and keep himself from losing the grip on the table because he was laughing so hard. Despite how tall as he was, 6’7” to be exact, that little girl could still wear him out.

"Alright Laila time to stop, you're tiring daddy out. It's time to eat." She hopped off and took her seat at the table. He grabbed the syrup, silverware, and napkins before sitting down with her. Heidi came in as she always did, begging at the table, and he had to keep his eye on that little girl to make sure she wasn't sneaking food.

As Dimitri finished up his breakfast, the baby monitor alerted him, and he was up in a flash to get Kira.

"Well good morning cutie pie!" She looked up at him from her crib with big eyes, smiling and cooing. He picked her up carefully and carried her downstairs.

"There’s my sweet girl. . .Let’s go get you some breakfast." 

Dimitri returned to the kitchen to grab her bottle, then made his way into the living room, sitting on the couch and turning the TV on to Nick Jr. for Laila as she sat next to him. Kira must have been hungry because she was halfway done with that bottle in minutes. 

"My goodness, someone was hungry this morning. You may need another bottle!" 

Dimitris phone started to ring on the coffee table. He tried to adjust myself to get it without disturbing Kira, so he turned his head to get Lailas attention. 

"Laila, could you get that please?" She nodded and grabbed the phone, poking at the screen to answer and holding it up to her ear.

"Laila wait I meant to give it to- -"

"Hello?"

". . .me." Dimitri sighed and waited for her to eventually give him his phone, which Is what he hoped she would end up doing. Knowing the mood she was in today, she could pull a fast one.

"Hi, Uncle Ivan! Yeah, daddy is right here!"

She turned to Dimitri and handed him the phone, causing him to give a brief sigh of relief. Laila turned her attention back to the TV as Dimitri held the phone to his ear with his shoulder, adjusting Kira in his right arm.

"Ivan! Hey, how are you?"

"I'm doing great! How are my nieces?" Dimitri looked at both of his daughters and he thought how amazing and beautiful they both were -as always- before he answered.

"Better than ever. Did you get my message last night? I knew it was late but I figured leaving a message wouldn't be bad."

"I did, I could tell by the tone of your voice in the message that you're not holding up too well. When do you need to go back to work?"

"Next Wednesday." There was a small pause as Ivan – Dimitri assumed – was pondering some possible ideas for him. He finally broke the silence.

"Well, what about a nanny?" Dimitri almost dropped his phone at that statement. 

"What? Ivan no way! Don't you remember Miss. McCormack, who was my nanny when I was four? She was terrible! There is no way I'm leaving the girls with an old bat like her!. . .Stop laughing bro it's not funny!" Ivan's laughs practically echoed through the phone to a point where Laila could hear his chuckles and it made her chuckle. Dimitri pulled the phone from his ear and rolled his eyes as he waited for Ivans laughter to settle. 

"Dimitri, come on, not all nannies are like that. Post an ad in the paper and meet with them at your house. This isn't 1944 Dimitri, not all of the nannies are old and cranky." He chuckled again and Dimitri rolled his eyes, mocking Ivans laughter.

"Oh ha ha very funny. I guess you're right. Maybe I'll call the local paper sometime this week, post an ad, then I guess we will see what happens from there. . .Hey, are you, Eddie and Mason still coming over Saturday for the big game? I still have it marked on my calendar."

"Of course! No way we are missing the game on that big plasma screen of yours! Plus, we're bringing the beer! I'll see ya soon bro. And don't forget that awesome vodka of yours for Saturday!"

"Will do my man, see you soon. Thanks for the help. Bye." Dimitri stretched his thumb out to the touch screen and hung up the phone. He tossed it onto the empty space on the couch, adjusting Kira in his arms again and making himself comfortable watching Dora with Laila as Kira finished off her bottle.

Tossing the bottle into the dishwasher. Dimitri placed Kira in her play pen upstairs as he ran a bath for Laila. Laila came darting up the stairs tossing clothes off in the hallway once she heard the water running. Aside from other kids, Laila was crazy about taking a bath, and Dimitri was amazed. She even got in the habit of washing her hair on her own without getting soap in her eyes. Dimitri of course was still at her side to help, just in case.

Dimitri was back and forth between rooms checking in on Kira, who was now fast asleep for a later morning nap. Taking a moment to watch his beautiful baby girl sleep, he then returned to the bathroom and sat on the black bathroom rug. He tossed a couple rubber duckies back and forth with Laila. It was amazing how many things amused her and how much she laughed and the littlest things, just like her mother. Her mother would be satisfied with something so simple and laughed at the funniest little things, it was contagious the way she would laugh too.

Drying her off and getting her dressed and getting himself dressed, Dimitri asked Laila what she felt like doing for the day.

"Ya know Ladybug, I was thinking about a trip to the zoo today, but is there anything else you feel like doing?"

Her eyes lit up at the word 'zoo', but her eyebrows scrunched in thought as she thought of something else to do. She looked up at Dimitri with a completely serious look, playing with the sleeve of his t-shirt.

". . .I wanna go see mommy. I picked her a Lily yesterday and I want to give it to her. See?" She pointed to the single white Lily placed in a light pink vase on her bedside table.

Dimitris breath hitched and choked back the gasp that tried to sneak out, holding back his tears.

_Not now Dimitri, not in front of your daughter, it's not right._

_Would I be able to stay strong in front of the girls? We hadn't been to Elena's grave since the funeral. . ._

"Laila maybe we should save that for another da- -"

"No!" Dimitri jumped at the sudden outburst. She huffed and crossed her arms, tears already filling her eyes and wetting her lashes.

"I miss mommy, and I know you do too." She pointed a finger at him. "We need to go see her. She needs to know we still love her. Don't you love her daddy?"

_That hit a nerve._

Dimitri bit his lip and took a deep breath. Even though she was four years old, she was right. Deep down he knew it was best to do this. To add to that fact, mother's day was coming up soon.

"Alright, we will stop by before we head to the zoo okay?" Excitement filled her features as she nodded silently and hopped off her bed to scurry downstairs and put on her tennis shoes.

Dimitri secured Kira in his right arm, loading the diaper bag with all the needed essentials, and walked out to strap the carrier to the seat. He placed Kira in her car seat and buckled both his daughters in, hopping in himself and driving off towards the cemetery. It was only minutes from their house.

As Dimitri saw the gates coming closer into sight, he started to grow nervous. He still wasn't positive he could do this without crying. Dimitri slowed the car as they approached the area of the cemetery where Elena was. Section 13.

 _Ugh, did it_ HAVE _to be the number 13? As if the number isn’t already unlucky enough. . ._

There the gravesite was. There she was. Dimitri took another deep breath and raked a hand through his hair, opening the car door and stepping out. He opened the door for Laila as she hopped out and made his way to the other side of the car to grab Kira.

As Dimtiri came back around the other side of the car, he stopped to watch Laila approach the grave sight. Fresh grass was still making its way through the ground where she was buried, a long row of many variations of flowers placed in front of the tombstone, accompanied with a small painting of her. A painting of her back when she and Dimitri had first met. It was a college project she volunteered to do for a friend of his. Dimitri had been taking the same art class, and It was the first time he had had the sheer luck to lay eyes on her for the first time. 

Laila lowered herself to her knees just in front of the flowers and tombstone. She delicately stroked her fingers against the cool stone, tracing the letters of her mom's name, the lily clutched in her other hand. Dimitri turned his head towards Kira, who was surprisingly silent, watching her sister intently. He turned his attention back to Laila.

"Hi, mommy. It's Laila. I just thought you would like to see us again, even though I know you watch over us no matter where we are. I thought it would be great to visit you. I miss you a lot, and so do Kira and daddy, especially daddy."

Dimitri bit his lip again, even harder. He knew he wasn't gonna be able to hold back tears at this point.

"I picked this flower in your garden. . . I thought it was the prettiest out of them all, just like you are out of all the mommies in the world. . ."

She placed the white Lily on top of the stone, and she sat back on her legs in silence. Seconds after, her whole mood changed. Laila clutched a section of the tombstone and let out a choked sob, a small shriek of a cry leaving her voice.

_Oh no._

Laila's cries started to upset Kira, and soon enough Kira was shedding tears and whimpering as she watched her big sister grow so upset. Dimitri quickly went over and scrunched down next to Laila. She threw her arms around his neck in a second, sobbing into his shirt. He rubbed her back with a free hand, making shushing sounds as the tears started to flow down his own cheeks.

"Shh shh Laila, it's okay. You know I'm here for you."

She hugged onto her father tighter, mumbling something he couldn’t make out into his shirt.

“What was that, ladybug?” Dimitri murmured into her ear in a loving, soothing voice.

"I miss her so much, daddy. . .”

Dimitri wiped his tears away, but they just kept coming, streaming down his cheeks and burning his eyes. He kissed her temple before whispering into her ear.

"I miss her too, bug. You know she will always love you, no matter what."

They sat there for what seemed like hours, both him and Laila for the first time really expressing their emotions about such a terrible loss. It was the first time aside from that day in the hospital that Dimitri had shown this kind of emotion in front of his children. Even at her funeral, he didn’t. It was more like he couldn’t even shed a tear. He was still in shock. So distraught, so heartbroken, emotionally drained and prideful, wanting to be strong for his children. But doing this in front of his daughters today didn't seem so wrong at this point. 

The moment ended in giggles as Laila started to bring up some funny moments with her mother, also attempting to get Kira to giggle and cheer her up in the process.

It was time to strap the girls back in. With everyone in a slightly better mood than they were, Dimitri took the opportunity to get them back in the car and seated, and make their way to the zoo while Laila and Dimitri played a game of punch buggie. Dimitri kept sneaking peeks in the rear view mirror, laughing as he watched her with big eyes stare out the window for yellow Volkswagen beetles. That was their car of choice anytime they played that game. She would hop in her seat and clap her hands anytime she was able to find the car she was looking for, punching a fist at the air towards her father and giggling since she couldn’t reach from where she was sitting. About fifteen minutes had gone by as they reached the Zoo, and Laila couldn't contain herself. Dimitri chuckled at both of them as 'hyper mode' switched on for Laila and Kira just sat in her car seat looking around in wonder. All the colors and noises she was observing around her were completely different for her, as it was her first time at the zoo.

As soon as Dimitri opened the door Laila was out and ready to run. He took her hand just before she could get away.

"Oh no no no you don't Laila Marie! You're staying within eye shot of me, you know better than to run off like that!”

"But daddy! Tigers! Rawr!" She put on a growling face and held her hands up in the shape of claws. Dimitri chuckled and shook his head at the ground.

"Yes I know, you love tigers. Don’t you worry, you will get to see them today no matter what." She finally calmed down and patiently waited as I lugged the stroller out of the back, got Kira situated and strapped in.

"Are you gonna ride with your sister today Ladybug?" She smiled and shook her head.

"No, I wanna help you push!" She ran over and made her way to the side of the stroller, grabbing a portion of it that she was able to as she walked. After grabbing their tickets and paying at the main entrance, they made their way inside. Kira made a funny noise as they passed some colorful souvenir stands containing toys, masks, and stuffed animals.

"Trust me, Kira, you haven't seen the best of it."

The three of them made their way down the path that was listed as the way to go to the ‘Asia’ section of the Zoo. They decided to head there because, of course, the Tigers would be there waiting for Laila. 

Dimitri couldn't help but notice the number of women that were working at the Zoo today, whether they were feeding animals, working stands, helping out with the train ride or just there to help you navigate your way somewhere. He also couldn't help but notice how attractive these women were.

"I haven't seen this many good looking women since spring break senior year of college," Dimitri mumbled to myself.

Dimitri began to feel guilty and stopped himself from looking. 

_This isn’t okay for me to be doing. . ._

Dimitri felt like he would be disappointing Elena. But he did remember what she had said to him when they were dating and even after they were married.

" _All look, no touch.”_

Well, Dimitri was a man, and he started to feel like there wouldn’t be any shame in looking. Even Elena was the kind of wife that would have no problem getting Dimitris attention when she saw an attractive woman herself, she always appreciated beauty with any gender. 

He parked the stroller along the side of the exhibit Laila had been waiting for this whole day. She climbed onto a fake rock and sat quietly, watching them intently. Dimitri turned the stroller for Kira to see, and her eyes grew even wider. He let them enjoy themselves as his eyes scanned the area and people around us, his eyes setting on an employee standing on top of a fake rock, attempting to clean the top of the look in glass for the Panda exhibit.

He couldn't see her face, but her brunette hair was full and had an attractive shine to it. Her skin was well tanned, but not too dark. His attention drifted to her legs.

 _And what a great pair of legs they are._ Dimitri said to himself.

His eyes followed just above her legs, and surprising himself, he started to blush. 

_Nice backside._

She made one final attempt to reach up onto her tip toes to get the spot she couldn’t quite reach, and that was when Dimitris 'hero mode' kicked in. She lost her balance, grabbing at a piece of bamboo. Dimitri stood up and ran over, just in time for the bamboo to snap and she fell back, right into his arms.

"Ah! Oaf!"

"Don't worry, I got ya."

She steadied herself, grabbing onto his arm and brushing the hair out of her face with another hand. She shook her head and looked up, making eye contact with me.

_Whoa. . .those eyes._

She studied Dimitri for a quick moment, then smiled.

_Her smile is beautiful, too._

"Thanks for catching me there bud!" She stood up and brushed herself off, turning her attention back to Dimitri and holding her hand out.

"The name's Rose!"

Dimitri was a little taken aback at first; she was so quick to introduce herself after nearly falling and breaking her tailbone or something similar, but Dimitri smiled and took her soft hand to return the gesture and shake her hand.

"Dimitri."

She smiled bigger and nodded her head.

"Great to meet ya! Sorry about that, how embarrassing! I'm such a klutz." She laughed at herself. Dimitri turned his head to see Laila attempting to pull the stroller over to where Dimitri had been standing.

"Excuse me one moment." He jogged over and pushed the stroller back over to where he was speaking with Rose. Laila sat on a nearby picnic table, eyeing Rose shyly.

Rose gave a look of surprise and adoration as she looked at both the girls. Laila gave her a shy smile and a wave.

"Oh! Are these your daughters? How adorable!" She shrunk down to Laila's level, taking her hand and shaking it lightly.

"I'm Laila. It's very nice to meet you!"

"And I'm Rose, it's very nice to meet you, too!" Laila laughed and Rose turned toward the stroller.

"And who is this little pumpkin?" Kira started to giggle as Rose smiled at her.

"That's Kira. One of the sweetest little babies you’ll ever meet, along with her sister." Dimitri said proudly. Rose stood back up.

"Beautiful names for beautiful girls." Dimitri smiled and nodded to her.

"Thank you."

"I'm the one that should be thanking you for keeping me from falling on my butt. It's these darn boots they make us wear!" Dimitri looked down and chuckled at the big brown laced boots she was speaking of, she was dressed like a safari girl. Tan shorts and a tan buttoned up top. It wouldn't have been his first choice either.

"Not too fond of the uniform I presume?. . ."

"Psh! Tell me about it! I hate these uniform shorts, they tend to ride up a lot." She laughed at her own comment.

Laila decided to chime in out of nowhere as she hopped off the picnic table to stand by Dimitris' side.

"My daddy likes them! He was staring at them a lot earlier!" A panicked Dimitris eyes grew wide, and he shot Laila a look and tried to mumble for her to hush, the red on his face reaching its breaking point. He knelt down close to Laila.

". . .Laila. . . what happened to being shy?" Dimitri murmured as quietly as he could for her to hear and not Rose, but she just looked over at the humored look on Rose's face and started to laugh.

"You're so silly, daddy!" he reddened even more and turned his attention back to Rose.

"I.. .uhh, I'm sorry, don't listen to her. She never knows what she's talking about."

"Yes I do da- -" Dimitri clamped his hand softly over her mouth. Rose giggled and he rolled his eyes as she continued to talk mumbled words through his hand. Rose broke out into even more laughter.

_Wow, listen to that laugh._

"No worries. .uhh, Dimitri right?" 

Dimitri nodded.

"Well, thanks again! Maybe I'll see you around sometime." That smile of hers was drawing him in, It was hard to even pay attention.

"Oh! Yeah maybe! B-bye!" She turned on her heel and walked off. Dimitri tried so hard not to let his eyes fall, now knowing Laila was watching his every move. He took his hand away and looked down at her, his eyebrow raised. She tried to do it back, and the little girl thought she was succeeding greatly, but that was not the case.

She placed her hands on her hips, and Dimitri followed suit.

"Don't mimic me, little missy!"

"Then don't mimic me!" She replied. They decided to call it a truce and shook hands, giggling at each other.

A few hours went by after they made their way through the rest of the Zoo, both the girls grew tired. Dimitri pushed the stroller to the car with Laila holding his left hand, barely hanging on, the poor thing was growing extremely tired. He picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. She laid her head on his shoulder and let her arms drape around his neck. As they all approached the car, Laila's soft quiet voice came out.

"Daddy?" Dimitri opened the door and placed her in the backseat, her eyelids drooping.

"Yes, sweetheart?" He buckled her in then went to grab Kira, strapping her into the car seat.

"That girl you met was really pretty."

He stopped and gave her a surprised look _._

_I didn't quite expect that to come out of her mouth._

"Yes. . .yes she was, very nice too." Dimitri folded up the stroller and stuck it in the trunk, shut the trunk door and he turned to shut the back seat door just after Laila said one more thing before drifting off to sleep.

"She reminded me of mommy. . ." A single long yawn escaped her and she was instantly out cold. Dimitri smiled to himself, got in and made his way home. The whole time he thought about what Laila had just said, meeting that girl, and the suggestions Ivan had made for their family earlier that morning.

 _Maybe he was right, maybe a nanny would be good for the girls and good for me, I wouldn't have to cook as much, that's a plus. The problem is finding the right person for the job._

Dimitri had decided to finally go through with the idea and call the paper tomorrow to place an ad in the paper.

_Let's just hope we get some luck._

Once they were home, it was a piece of cake getting the girls to bed. Dimitri hopped in the shower to wash up and ponder some of his thoughts. The cool water was extremely refreshing against his sweaty, itchy skin, and he spent a good half an hour in the shower.

With his body dried and a towel wrapped around my waist, he combed out his hair and gave himself a quick shave, careful not to nick himself again as he had done last week. He washed off the excess shaving cream, then walked back into his room, too lazy to throw on some pajamas. He tossed the towel into his hamper and climbed into bed, enjoying the cool, soft comforter against his tall, muscular and tanned body. Flipping the bedside lamp off, Dimitri laid his head down on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

"Well Elena, I wonder what your intake is on a nanny. You think it's a good idea?" The silence in the room spoke more than anything else as a slight breeze came through his window.

He smiled up at her. "That's what I thought. . ."

He spent a couple hours just talking with her, it was so weird to feel that she was really talking back to him. He could’ve sworn he heard her voice at times. It made him feel a lot better, it felt like she was really there watching over them. Dimitri just hoped and prayed she was okay with the decisions he was going to make for their daughters, he never wanted to disappoint his wife.

As it grew dark, Dimitri turned onto his stomach to try and get some sleep. He had been overly tired these past few weeks, and he had a busy week ahead of him looking for a nanny and heading back to work. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he succumbed to sleep in a matter of minutes.


	3. The Interviews

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I’m happy to see there are a few people that enjoyed the first couple of chapters. :) I had the most unfortunate thing happen a few days ago! In my process of exporting, editing and moving chapters from different domains, I accidentally deleted a couple chapters in the middle *yikes!* and they were not saved anywhere in my google documents. So with that, a couple chapters are definitely going to be different from me just changing the POV. Haha. But hey, I was already tweaking and rewriting the story to begin with, maybe this is just a sign there is much more I can do with those chapters. Aaaaand with that, let’s continue on to chapter 3! :) - SS

"Will I have to do diapers?"

Dimitri looked up from his clipboard, clearly irritated with the black haired woman sitting before him. He had a feeling that dark hair was dyed from a much lighter color because he had never met someone so clueless and ditzy. She was completely oblivious to the 'are you serious?' look Dimitri was giving her as she started to ramble on about how she couldn't do diapers because they were 'icky'.

Dimitri wiped the look off of his face, trying his best to cover up his shock at how oddly dumb this girl was.

"Well. .you do know that Kira is five months old, correct? Of course she still wears diapers. It's really quite simple, and pretty obvious to anyone looking for a nanny position that you would be expected to do diapers nannying a newborn baby."

She looked at Dimitri, her mouth slightly hung open, her eyes falling just below his belt. Feeling that uncomfortable vibe wash over himself, he adjusted his position, crossing his left foot onto his knee and setting the clipboard on his lap.

"You're like, really cute, do ya know that? Your friend is too." She looked over at Ivan after saying that, biting her lip and giving him a small wink. Ivan gave a fake, uncomfortable smile, looking at Dimitri and silently pointing to his watch, switching to a look of impatience on his face.

Dimitri gave him a silent signal, one that always worked between the two of them to let either one of them know they were on the same page. It was time to get her out of there. To cover up the short moment of awkward silence, Dimitri coughed and cleared his throat. Ivan and Dimitri stood up, her doing the same, almost losing her balance in the over the top high heels she decided to wear that were not agreeing with the thick carpet they were standing on. 

"Well. .uhh. .Tasha, thanks so much for stopping by, we will call you back if need be." Ivan and Dimitri both shook her hand carefully, the goofy smile never leaving her face. She let out a high pitched giggle that made both Ivan and Dimitri cringe. Turning on her high heels, which resulted in another stumble, she practically skipped toward the door, giving them a final wave before she headed out.

The two men fell back and sunk into their chairs, letting out a loud sigh. Dimitri tossed the clipboard to his side, his hands finding his face as they worked their way up into his hair. Ivan started to chuckle as he took a gulp of his rum and coke.

"My god, does this really need to be this hard?" Ivan stood up and gave Dimitri a consoling a pat on the back.

"You're gonna find someone Dim, don't worry. Sometimes I feel in times like this my sister would’ve had more backbone than you, she would have spoken the truth to that girl!"

Dimitri stood up, grabbing the clipboard and his own drink. Removing Tasha's application, he tossed it into the wastebasket. Dimitri took a swig, pointing a finger at him with the glass still in his hand.

"I would have a comeback for you on that one- -" He coughed a little from the strength of the drink Ivan had made for him. "- -If it wasn't mostly true." He started to laugh even more so than before. Dimitri wasn’t sure if it was the comment he had made, or the fact he was choking on the overly strong drink Ivan made him, but he laughed along with Ivan. 

"Was she the last one of the day?" Dimitri reluctantly asked, hoping to God she was the final interview. 

"Nope, one more at four."

"Great! How wonderful. . ." Dimitri groaned in a sarcastic tone, which Ivan didn’t quite catch.

"Yeah I know! Maybe she'll be the one!"

". . .Damn it Ivan, that was sarcasm." Dimitri chuckled at the look on Ivan's face when he hadn’t noticed Dimitris sarcastic tone. 

They made themselves comfortable on the couch, just as Laila made her way in. She had been playing in the other room, working diligently on her favorite dolls hair with a tiny pink plastic brush and giggling at the cartoon she had watched for probably the hundredth time that week. Kira was staying with Dimitris mother for the day. She walked over to stand in front of them, her hands on her hips as she tapped her foot.

"Having fun in there Ladybug?"

She didn't respond.

"What's wrong?" An accusing finger was in Dimitris face before he could even react.

"You said a bad word!" 

Dimitri looked over at Ivan, amusement plastered all over Ivan's face. Dimitri chuckled, looking back at Laila, shrugging and holding his hands up.

"I know, it's okay though Laila, it was nothing too- -"

"Swear jar!"

"What?"

"Swear jar!" She ran out of the room, returning with a big plastic jar, one that was used for the pretzels Dimitri regularly snacked on. In purple marker, the words 'Sware Jar, 25 Cents a Wurd' were written on paper taped to the jar.

"Twenty Five cents daddy." She held out the jar as far as her arms would let her. Dimitri, who was finding this beyond cute and hilarious, fished a quarter out of his pocket and tossed it in. She set it on the end table and then squeezed in between Ivan and her father.

"Thank you daddy." Dimitri pulled her onto his lap, bouncing her slightly on his knee as he continued to talk to Ivan.

"Elena would've laughed at me for the way I'm handling this. These girls have me wrapped around my damn finger.”

“Daddy!"

“Sorry!” Dimitri sighed, managing to fish another quarter out of his pocket with Laila still perched on his lap. He flipped it into the jar.

"She's probably laughing at you now, my sister has a strong spirit, I know she's close by laughing at both of us!"

"If she only had to personally deal with these people we’ve interviewed today. We've had the dumbest dark haired girl in the world, four incredibly cranky and smelly old women who remind me of Yeva, minus the smell and the lack of kindness, and some dude who asked me how often I lift weights and if I tan nude. We are not making good progress my friend.”

"We can't control who we interview,” Ivan replied. “We just have to hope someone great comes around."

_ Ding dong. _

Dimitri glanced at his watch, their final interview was early.

"You better hope this person is 'Mrs. Great', bud." Taking Laila off of his lap, he stood up and strolled to the door, opening it to come face to face with someone all too familiar.

"Oh my god. . ."

A shorter girl with blonde hair, curled in ringlets stood before him. With light blue eyes, accented with light makeup, she smiled nervously at him, a small wave from her little hand. Dimitris eyes were wide with surprise, but he tried his best to not seem standoffish or uncomfortable, it's not like he hated her or had any reason to.

"Hey Dimitri." It was Ivan's ex-girlfriend from college, a tough break up for the both of them at the time.

". . .Mia?"

She half-smiled and nodded, her stiff curls bouncing ever so slightly. Dimitri stepped aside and gestured for her to come in, she nodded again and carefully stepped inside. Stuffing his hands in my pockets in a slightly awkward way, he looked into the room where Ivan was sitting, patiently waiting. Dimitri looked back at her and smiled.

"Mia, I'm so glad you are interested in this job but. . .will you be comfortable? Ivan is here." She gave a shrug, looking down at her feet. She looked back up at him, a genuine smile on her face.

"I'm sure I can cope." 

Seeing as she truly meant well, Dimitri nodded. He escorted her into the living room, and Ivan shot straight up from his chair when he first saw her. She grew more nervous, Dimitri could tell, and they both took a solid minute to look at each other before Ivan finally broke the silence.

"M...Mia. What are you doing here?" The way he looked at her was odd, but Dimitri knew he still had feelings for her. It was a mutual break up since they were going to be so far apart after college, but it still didn’t end as civil as it could have, Ivan's emotions got the best of him in that process, and he emotionally hurt her pretty bad. 

"Applying for the job." She paused to sit down and cross her legs. Ivan followed suit, and the same with Dimitri. He watched as her dress rode up slightly as she crossed her legs. Dimitri gave him a soft nudge in the ribs to knock him out of his daze.

"So Ivan, how have you been?" He kept looking at her, not saying a word. He was dumbfounded. Dimitri cleared his throat loudly and Ivan finally blinked a few times, shaking his head before he responded.

"Oh, uhh, sorry. I have been great, yourself?" She smiled again and nodded.

"Just fine thanks. I am terribly sorry to hear about Elena you two. What a horrible thing to happen to such a young, beautiful and sweet girl."

Ivan and Dimitri both nodded simultaneously, thanking her for her kind words.

"Well," Dimitri said, shifting in his seat. "How about we get this interview started?" They both agreed as he took her application and handed Ivan an evaluation sheet.

"So Mia, what kind of experience to do you have with children?"

"We can't hire her, Dimitri." Dimitri rolled his eyes at Ivan as he scanned through her papers.

"Ivan we can't toss her out of the question just because she is your ex girlfriend! She has been our best candidate! She went to college for early childhood education, what else do we need?"

"Someone other than her! Do you know how awkward that is for me? I don't want her taking care of my nieces."

Dimitri tossed his clipboard once again and turned to him, growing irritated at this point. Dimitri pointed a finger at him.

"Look Ivan, first of all, she will be staying in my house, it's not like you will see her everyday, you don't live here! Second of all, those are  _ my  _ daughters, not yours, and even though I appreciate you being here for support, It is my final decision!"

His anger completely caught Ivan off guard. Ivan held up his hands in defense, standing up slowly and taking a step back.

"Whoa there man, take it easy. I'm only thinking of what's best for you and the girls." Dimitri stood up quickly and stepped toward him.

"No, you're only thinking of what's best for yourself. I know you still care about her, and she cares about you. This could be your chance to reconcile things! However, If she is the only interview left and I have no more by Saturday. I'm taking her, alright?" He nodded his head silently, stepping forward to give Dimitri a 'bro hug'.

"Alright, I'm sorry Dimitri," He pulled back to face me. "It is your choice, I was out of line." Smiling, Dimitri ruffled up his hair and laughed.

"No worries, my brother." They both set the chairs back in their rightful place, cleaning a couple things up as they did so. After saying goodbye to Ivan, Dimitri went out back to get Laila.

"Hey Ladybug! We've got to go get your sister, wanna go see grandma?" Her face lit up at that word as she looked up from her doll, standing up quickly to run towards him, holding her arms out.

"Grandma's house! Grandma's house!" She ran and jumped up as Dimitri caught her in his arms, lifting her above his head. She started giggling like crazy, she loved being an 'airplane'. Even with Dimitris' failed attempt at airplane noises, she enjoyed herself. Bringing her back down so she could wrap her arms around his neck, her head on his shoulder, and her legs as best as they could around his waist, Dimitri carried her out to the car and helped her get strapped in.

As Dimtri hopped into the driver seat and started the car, he looked back at her.

"Any movie you would like to watch on the way sweetheart? We have a good hour to kill."

Taking no time to even think about it, she yelled out, already knowing the answer before I asked.

“Princess and the Pauper!" She laughed and clapped her hands, picking up the DVD case from the seat beside her and tossing it to me.

Dimitri popped it in just before he pulled out and made his way to his moms house.

"Dimka, you're making this harder and more stressful on yourself than it really is." Dimitris mother sat in her rocking chair, feeding a bottle to Kira. Laila sat on the floor, playing around with some of her toys and dolls she kept there at Dimitris mom's for the days she would spend the night.

"You know I could watch them for you as much as possible." Dimitri shook my head.

"No mama, I am not putting that on you. You already take care of Paul and Viktoria, I'll be fine with a nanny, maybe I'll make a new friend."

She eyed Dimitri with humor in her features, placing the bottle next to her on the table. She stood up and strolled over, handing Kira to Dimitri. He adjusted himself to make both Kira and himself comfortable, rocking her slowly in his arms.

"Dimka, do you plan on dating again, possibly marriage?" 

_ Well, that question certainly caught me off guard. _

Dimitri looked down at Kira, then looked back up at his mother, trying my best not to let any tears show.

"I. . .I don't know mama, It doesn't feel. . ." She cut him off before I could think of what else to say.

"You know that's what Elena would want, she wants you to be happy. I know it’s still very fresh in your mind, and no one in no way shape or form wants to rush you, but please know that Elena would eventually want you to move on and be happy." Dimitri bit his lip, looking down at Kira as he lightly stroked the side of her head.

"I know mama. . .I know."

"Daddy?" 

Dmitri turned his head toward Laila who was sitting down crossed legged, facing her father.

"Yeah?" She smiled at me softly.

"Do what mommy would want you to do." As young as she was, Laila was right. Dimitri had even had this conversation with Elena back when she was pregnant with her. If anything were to happen with either of them, they assured each other it was okay to move on and fall in love again, as long as their love never faded. Never did Dimitri ever expect to lose her so soon and so painfully, that was the worst day of my life.

_ Elena gripped Dimitris hand tighter as the doctor counted to ten. She was pushing as hard as she could, holding back the scream that was threatening to escape her lips. Dimitri winced as her grip tightened, practically crushing his hand, trying his best not to groan from the pain. _

" _ 8\. .9. .and 10. Beautiful job Elena we just need a couple more pushes from you alright?" Elena turned her head towards her husband, forehead hot and sweaty, her eyes looking extremely exhausted. _

_ She was looking rather pale, the color in her cheeks and lips not quite as vibrant as before. Dimitri brushed the wet bangs clenching to her forehead out of the way, placing a soft kiss on her temple. _

" _ You can do it sweetheart, I know you can." She shook her head fast, breathing even heavier as tears ran down her cheeks. _

" _ I. . .I can't, I can't Dimitri, It's too hard, too hard." Her voice started to fade as she spoke, even speaking was practically wearing her out. A worrisome look crossed Dimitris features, but he tried his best to hide it from her. The nurse finally spoke again. _

" _ Elena please, we need you to pu- -" The nurse stopped in mid sentence as her head jerked towards the monitor, watching as the beeping started to pick up speed. Another nurse nearby hollered out across the room. _

" _ Her heart rate is dangerously high, we need to prepare an emergency c-section!" Fear was all over Dimitris face as Elena's grip on his hand loosened, slipping out of his own and collapsing onto the bed. Her body began to shake, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her breaths were erratic, almost as if she was choking. Dimitri watched as deep red blood started to seep around her, staining the white sheets. Dimitri watched in shock and horror at the sight before him.  _

" _ E. . .Elena?" Dimitri was grabbed by the wrist and pulled up, facing the main doctor. _

" _ Mr. Belikov, we need you to step out now, please." Dimitri was about to put his foot down on that request, he couldn't leave his wife alone. _

" _ No! I need to be with my wife, something is wrong!” _

_ The doctor held up a hand to silence him. _

" _ Mr. Belikov, please, I'm not going to lie to you, but something is very wrong, we need to operate and do an emergency c-section.” _

_ Dimtiri looked over at her one last time before he was escorted out of the room. _

_ It pained him to see her like that, but He stepped out, sinking into a nearby chair in between Ivan and his in-laws.  _

_ As they waited, not long after he was asked to leave the room, his mother joined them with Laila. Dimitri hated keeping Laila concerned, but he couldn't help pacing back and forth. Minutes, even hours and hours seemed to go by, even though it was only a half an hour. _

_ Dimitri and his family were the only ones in the hallway, everyone sitting, except Dimitri when the head doctor stepped out of the room. He and Dimitri made eye contact, and Dimitri met him halfway down the hall. He had a very solemn look on his face, eyes kind, yet concerned and sympathetic. _

" _ Mr. Belikov. . ."  _

_ Dimitri didn’t know what he was waiting for, but he should have just spit it out. _

" _ Where is she? Where is my wife? Can I see her? What about my daughter?" The questions were rapidly coming out. The doctor gently raised a hand to calm Dimitri down. _

" _ Your daughter is fine Mr. Belikov. She is being cleaned and checked for anything wrong, so far she is a healthy baby girl." A small smile made it to Dimitris face at the thought of another beautiful and healthy baby girl in their family. _

" _ Kira. . ." Dimitri whispered softly. "Elena will be so thrilled." The doctor's face faltered. He placed a hand on Dimitris shoulder, pulling him down the hall a little further away from his family. _

" _ Dimitri. . ." He was using his first name now. Dimitri found that rather odd since him and the doctor were not too familiar with each other. Dimitri didn't say a word, he just nodded his head for him to continue. _

" _ Your wife suffered severe hemorrhaging and bleeding. We did all that we could do but...the loss in blood was too great. I'm so sorry Dimitri. . .your wife is gone." _

_ Dimitris body went into shock. The next thing he remembered was being on his knees on the tile floor, Ivan and Elena's parents, Ivan, and my mother surrounding me. When Dimitri finally came to his senses, realizing what he had just been told, he had never sobbed so loud in my life. They echoed the hall as Dimitri clutched to the side of the wall, tears drowning his face, reddening and burning his cheeks.  _

**I can’t handle this. How would I live? Elena was dead. She was my heart and soul.**

_ As the others stood by mourning with each other, embracing each other crying, Ivan was the one to sit by his side. At that point, as Ivan placed a hand on his back, he lost it. _

" _ No, it can't be true. It’s not true!” Dimitri stood up, heading straight for the operation room. "Elena!" Dimitri cried.  _

_ He stopped by Ivan and his father in law pulling him back. _

" _ Dimitri! Please! She's gone! There is nothing we can do!" Ivan called out as he attempted to pull DImitri into a chair, but his legs gave out again as he fell to the floor, sobbing into Ivan's shirt as he gripped it tightly. Ivan knelt down and embraced Dimitri in a firm tight hug, letting his emotions overcome him and crying with his brother-in-law and best friend. His father in law stood near, patting Dimitris back. _

_ Dimitri could hear sobs and sniffles coming from everyone as his emotions and body started to calm down. Dimitri lifted his head from Ivan's shirt as his eye caught Laila off to the side, away from the others, watching him intently as she had on her pajamas and Little mermaid blanket in hand. _

_ Dimitri walked over and shrunk down next to her, sitting with his legs out, pulling her onto his lap. She looked up at him, her eyes red from crying. _

" _ Daddy, I don't like it when you cry." She whispered, snuggling herself up against me. Dimitri stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head every so often to soothe the soft sobs escaping her mouth. _

" _ I know sweetheart, I'm sorry. I promise for you, I will be strong. For you and your sister. . ." _

"Dimka?" 

Dimitri jumped from the voice out of nowhere, laughing to himself when he realized it was just his mother.

"Yes mama?" Her eyes slightly worried, she stood up as he did, giving him a kiss on the cheek that resulted in her having to stand on her tiptoes, as well as Dimitri leaning his tall frame forward so she could reach. 

"I understand your decision Dimka, but you know I, your sisters and Paul are here for you, always know that."

Dimitri smiled and nodded my head. "I know mama" She licked her thumb quickly to reach up and dab away something she saw on his face that was most likely something that could’ve been removed without his mothers saliva residue on his face. Dimitri jerked his head back.

"Ma!" He started to laugh and she kept trying to reach, but was unsuccessful with his height. 

"You had a little something on your chin! You need to shave Dimka."

"But I like my stubble."

She chuckled. "Whatever you say. Now get out of here and get those girls to bed."

"Will do mama." Dimitri collected all of their belongings, with the help of his mother and Laila, and loaded everyone and everything into the car.

"I'll see you soon Ma." She smiled and waved as he got in and pulled away.

"Let me know about the new nanny!" Dimitri nodded his head and stuck his hand out of the window to wave back.

_ It's time to make some changes in our life, some good changes. My mom was right, I needed to start dating again, maybe not soon, but soon enough before I got too old. Who am I kidding? I'm 28, I have time. The problem is finding the right girl. _


End file.
